For many a decade Largo had its own band. The above image (dated 1890 but possibly a few years later) shows the Largo Silver and Brass Band in uniform (reproduced from the book 'Seatoun of Largo' by Ivy Jardine). An article written about this particular incarnation of the local band appeared in the 29 August 1908 St Andrews Citizen. This piece stated that the band was established "25 years ago" suggesting an 1883 start date. It went on to say that they made their debut on the New Year's Day after their inception and since then had never missed a New Year's Day performance. However, a search through the newspaper archives reveals that earlier bands had come and gone before that 1883 date.

In 1839, the "Largo and Lundin Mill Instrumental Band" played at an Old Handsel Monday soiree organised by the "Largo and Lundin Mill Total Abstinence Society" in the "wareroom" at the spinning mill. The band are mentioned frequently in the 1840s and 1850s including the lacklustre review in the Fife Herald of 15 May 1856 below, where "the attendance was most miserable". This review generated a letter of complaint to the paper soon afterwards suggesting that this was an "attack" on the band due to "wounded feelings". I wonder what the story was there?

A dearth of mentions during the 1860s and early 1870s suggests that the band fell into abeyance for a time. The fact that  special events in Largo were attended by brass bands from nearby places such as Largoward, Leven and Methil supports that theory. However, in 1876 the 'Largo Brass Band' provided the music at a flower show in St Andrews representing a possible come back but it was not until the 1880s that the band seem to have become more consistent and fully established. They were conducted by a Mr Williamson in the mid 1880s and were typically known as 'Largo Brass Band'. At this time, the band also benefited from coaching from Leven's bandmaster - Mr Adamson - in an attempt to get them onto the 'competition list'. Band contests were popular with many Fife bands being regularly involved in these.

In 1899 it was noted in the St Andrews Citizen (1 July) that the band had recently secured a "smart uniform" through funds raised by a prize draw and liberal aid from "shopkeepers and other friends". This suggests that they previously had no uniform and places the image at the top of this post perhaps closer to 1899 than 1890. This was the era when the band were leasing and using a space in the granary building at Largo Harbour as a band room.

For 17 years (from around 1890) the band had been conducted by Leven man Mr George Houison. He led them to the competition victories that gave them the name "Largo Prize Band" for a number of years. He may well be in the photograph above. However, Houison left for Ontario, Canada around the end of 1907 with several other members of his family, some of whom were also band members. The front page advert from the East of Fife Record (6 Sept 1907) details what must have been one of Houison's last engagements with the band.

The band was funded entirely by subscriptions with costs of around £60 per annum in 1908 (excluding repairs or new instruments). At this time it was noted that other bands in the area had "full-plated sets of instruments" and it was thought that Largo should too. A sum of around £200 would have to be raised to make that happen. A bazaar was proposed for the following summer​.

A Mr J Bisset took over the bandmaster role in 1908 was described as an "energetic and efficient teacher". This was quite possibly John Bisset later of Buckthorns Farm. At that time the band had a number of wealthy patrons and seemed to be in great demand. To advertise their 1909 summer bazaar, the band's secretary Thomas Graham Wishart had his motor car "gaily decorated and...driven round the district advertising the announcing the attractions of the bazaar". This must have been effective as around 700 people attended the event and soon afterwards the band became 'Largo Silver Band'.  Mr Bisset resigned early in 1912 as bandmaster and the position was advertised (see advert below from 10 Feb Fifeshire Advertiser). It was noted that attendances at practices were not good at that time and only a couple of concerts were mentioned in the local papers thereafter before the band took a break during the Great War. ​
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The band had resumed by 1921 and continued albeit with up and downs for many years after that. In 1929 the Leven Mail (19 June) reported that the "exodus of many young players from the district may force Largo Silver Band to break up" but by 1933 the same paper (8 March) stated that the band "now has the financial security to enlarge its scope". There was a simple bandstand on Massney Braes around the 1930s (see images below) where the band gave a popular summer programme of concerts. There was a period of disbandment during World War Two but the band were reported in the 19 June 1946 Leven Mail as playing at the Largo War Memorial. The leader at that time was another Mr Bisset. In this post-war period there was also a 'Largo Pipe Band'. Mention of either band seems to be absent from the newspaper archives after this time. If you know when the demise of the Largo Silver Band came about - please comment.
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On this day in 1911, the Norwegian schooner 'Rap' of Stavanger was wrecked at Lundin Links during a storm (see photograph above from the Fife News Almanac 1912). The 'Rap' had been bound for Dysart from Grangemouth in ballast but before reaching the harbour there had put two crew ashore to get a pilot. Meanwhile the wind and sea rose to such an extend that neither the pilot nor the two sailors could leave shore. The Rap had to let down anchor for the night. While it held fast all through the night, on the morning of Sunday 5th November around 9 o'clock her moorings broke loose and she began to drift along the Forth.

The Dysart harbourmaster telegraphed the Buckhaven lifeboat coxswain and the Fife Free Press of 11 November reported:

"As the vessel drifted past Wemyss, Buckhaven and Methil, thousands of the inhabitants went to the beach and ran along the shore in line with the vessel to witness her running ashore. Eventually she came ashore near Largo Harbour. The rocket apparatus, under the charge of Leven Coastguards hurried to the scene and were successful in establishing communication with the vessel.

Only the Captain and the ship's boy were left aboard, and the lad, after an exciting struggle, was safely brought to land but the skipper refused to leave the ship in spite of the appeals of the Coastguards. Buckhaven lifeboat came on the scene and stood by for nearly two hours. The vessel began to make water badly but though swept for hours she held together. Later, however, she was brought ashore."

As the piece below from the same newspaper noted, the storm had been the worst in many a year. An image of the 'Rap' in full sail is shown further below.

The 'rocket apparatus' mentioned in the newspaper report above refers to when a rocket was used to fire a rope line from the shore over to a stricken boat. Once the line is caught, a pulley system can be set up to transport crew from the boat back to land. The image below shows such a system in use.

George Hunter was a Scottish painter - one of the Scottish Colourists - whose work was characterised by the bold use of colour and loose brushwork. He was born on 7 August 1877 to Rothesay chemist William Hunter and his wife Jeanie Stewart. He was their fifth child. George spent the first fifteen years of his life in Rothesay, where he developed a passion for drawing from a young age.  Early in 1892, two of George's older siblings died while still in their early twenties. Later that year, William, Jeanie and their three surviving children emigrated to California.  They initially settled on an orange grove 50 miles east of Los Angeles, where they enjoyed the change of climate. Two or three years later they moved to the city but in 1899 all except George returned to Scotland.

George moved to San Francisco, where he began using the name 'Leslie' for the first time. There he became a member of the bohemian community of artists, writers and poets. His earnings from work as an illustrator for magazines and books paid for a visit to Paris in 1904. This trip inspired him to try his hand at oil painting. Back in San Francisco, in 1905, he compiled a portfolio of work to be exhibited the following year in what would be his first solo exhibition. However, this would never come to pass, as all of his work was destroyed by the fires that followed the 1906 earthquake in the city.

This was a disaster for Hunter and led to his return to Scotland. He settled in Glasgow later in 1906 but continued to make visits to France from time to time (except during the First World War when travel was restricted). Hunter developed a group of friends based on the east coast of Scotland, who introduced him to Fife. The county's rural architecture and colourful landscapes became an important source of inspiration to him. Ceres and Lower Largo in particular were favourite haunts. In a letter to one of those friends Hunter wrote "Fife is ever a delightful thought on my mind with its beautiful valleys and villages".

Above is 'Cottages and Landscape, Fife' dated 1923-24, which is in fact Drum Lodge looking east.

Above is 'Largo, Fife' (undated) showing Main Street, Lower Largo, looking east where Horne's Buildings now stand on the left and the right turn at White Cottage is off picture to the right.

Above is 'Largo Harbour' dated 1925.

Above is 'Figures on the Pier, Largo' undated.

Above is 'Mill, near Largo' dated 1924, depicting the flour mill at Lundin Mill - not far from another of his subjects, Dunkirk Cottage.

Above is 'Cottages Under a Railway Bridge' (1924) featuring the railway viaduct, cottages and the oil and cake mill. 

Above is 'Boats, Lower Largo' dated 1926, looking west from close to the Orry.

So it was the early to mid years of the 1920s that Hunter frequently visited Largo. This was the same period of his life that he became increasingly associated with the other three Scottish Colourists: Samuel Peploe, Francis Cadell and John Duncan Fergusson. There were also trips to mainland Europe throughout the 1920s. In 1929, while in the French Riviera, Hunter suffered a breakdown and was brought back to Scotland by his sister to recuperate. Despite a period of recovery, his health deteriorated soon afterwards and he died in 1931 in Glasgow aged 54. Exhibitions of his work continued after his death and his art still commands huge interest today.

Holiday season is upon us and Largo Arts Week is kicking off - so here is a lovely circa 1950 image of children at play on the beach at the Temple. The sender of this postcard in 1952 was an M. Allan who wrote to a friend in Portsmouth:

"I will have your tea ready so come right on from station. We are having very hot weather, so hope it will continue for your visit."

I wonder if it did and what they got up to during the visit?

The above engraving by Frederick Borders featured in the 1860 book "The Handy Book of the Fife Coast" by Henry Farnie. The same book had a full page advert for the the 'marine villas' that were being built in the village as part of the ambitious plans set out by the Standard Life Assurance Company at that time. At first glance the engraving is not particularly recognisable as Lundin Links. However, zooming in on the centre detail (below) reveals 'Fir Park' standing proud in front of Largo Law, plus a scattering of houses. Colour has been added below to highlight these features, which are tricky to make out in the original.

Further to the left of the engraving is a representation of the newly-created railway station and a passing train - see below. The shack-like temporary station building that briefly existed between 1857 and 1858 before it was replaced with the permanent station building can be made out. As the book 'The Leven and East of Fife Railway' by Hajducki, Jodeluk and Simpson states:

"Provision was made for the situation where, if after five years from opening, the traffic generated was not sufficiently remunerative for the railway company, then the obligation to keep the station open was no longer binding on them. Lundin Links station was opened along with the rest of the line in August 1857 with a temporary building but in September 1858 an agreement was reached between the East of Fife company and Standard Life that the station was to be completed as a permanent structure. Standard Life contributed £450 out of a total of £800 for the station and its approach road and would also undertake to construct four villas by the station."

The villas named 'Homelands' and 'Haworth' were duly built but, aside from several other homes built on Crescent Road, further development was slow. The permanent station building had a distinctive design - quite unlike others in the vicinity. It seems likely that James Campbell Walker had a hand in its design, which had echoes of 'Homelands'. The opening announcement and the original timetable are shown below (from 13 August 1857 Caledonian Mercury).

Frederick Borders the engraver behind these images was born in London around 1827. By 1851 he was employed as an engraver is Islington but by the time of the 1861 census he was in Edinburgh working as a wood engraver. He had probably completed the Lundin Links engraving 3-4 years prior to that. He was still in Edinburgh in 1871 and the next year married Helen Wight in Edinburgh before relocating to London. Their first child Frederick was born soon afterwards, followed by Samuel, Helen and Alice. The 1881 census finds Frederick senior in Wandsworth Prison as a 'debtor' but ten years later he is back working as a 'draughtsman and engraver on wood' in Southwark (the place where he died in 1894).
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​As a follow-up to the previous post - above is a 1969 view across Largo Harbour with the disused station in the background. This image has been converted from a slide and the magnified view below shows the station in more detail. The station master's house is visible above the viaduct arch to the left of the tree. The bridge over the railway line remains in place. The station buildings still appear to be in reasonable condition from this distance but the track area seems quite overgrown with vegetation.

Another point of interest in the detail below is the bright red World War Two sea mine positioned in front of the Crusoe Hotel, tucked in next to the 1888 harbour toilet facility. These mines were reconditioned into charity collection boxes to support the dependants of those lost at sea, as well as sick, disabled or retired fishermen and mariners. These were found in many a coastal town or village. Some displayed the message "I am a real sea mine. Instead of destroying seamen, I want to help them". Does anyone know when this one was removed from the harbour area?

The location of the remaining sea mines around the UK can be seen on the shipwrecked mariners' society website.  The closest one appears to be at St Monans. For another glimpse of the old Lower Largo one, see about 23 seconds into the following home movie clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MDMfqXcpus

The above photograph shows the Slee family of Edinburgh on holiday in August 1933, with part of the Temple visible in the background. The family came to Lower Largo annually from the early 1930s until the Second World War. Their visits began when the children had whooping cough and the doctor suggested some sea air. A book named "Two Generations of Edinburgh Folk" by Dorothy Slee (1993), describes the holidays as follows:

"Granny rented a cottage at Largo for us for a month and it was such a success that we returned there annually for six or seven years. The little rented cottages were at the far end of the village of Lower Largo, just across a narrow road from the beach. Happy and carefree, we spent more of our time on this beach - building sand castles, paddling, looking for crabs in the rocks, or floating in a large rubber inner tube".

The book was part of the 'Flashbacks' book series designed to reveal the daily lives of individuals in the context of their own time and place. Dorothy worked at the National Museums of Scotland who co-produced the series. The concept of the series was that everyone can contribute to the "total sum of knowledge of human history" and that "local and personal history" should be set alongside political and other kinds of history.
 

The second photograph above shows some members of the family sitting outside their rented cottage. It has since been demolished and replaced by the modern home that is now 5 The Temple. You can recognise the neighbouring house (number 7) which looks the same today.  Later in the Dorothy Slee's book there is a description of the entertainment on offer in Largo at the time:

"At the other end of the village by the Crusoe Hotel there would be pierrots and a Punch and Judy show to visit, where we would stand enraptured by the strains of "Oh, oh, Antonio" or "Why am I always the bridesmaid never the blushing bride?"....We would sometimes climb up Largo Law and always have a picnic at Shell Bay which meant a trek along the beach laden with picnic gear and, most importantly, Grandpa hugging the large yellow melon."

Below is the spot where the above photo was captured - the group sat by the low wall in the left hand foreground.

The above painting by German-born artist Eugene Dekkert was recently sold mislabelled as 'St Monans Harbour'. Many will recognise it immediately as Largo Harbour. The same view is shown below from both c1900 and the present day. One key feature is missing from the painting, however. There is no railway viaduct. This is not because the painting pre-dates the building of the railway line. In fact, it has been deliberately left out - no doubt to create a nostalgic view of old Largo.

Dekkert was born in 1865 - eight years after the opening of the railway line. He came to live in Scotland and lived in first Glasgow and then the East Neuk of Fife in the early 20th century. He and his wife Emma were living in St Monans at both the 1901 and 1911 census. The fact that he lived there, along with the fact that he often painted the harbour at St Monans probably accounts for the inaccurate title on the painting above. It was said in 1906 that "the sea is never absent from his work" and that his style was "strongly individual". He had studied at the Academy in Munich as a student of Theodor Hummel.  

Presumably he returned to Germany at the time of the Great War. Later in life Dekkert participated in art exhibitions in Berlin, Dresden and Munich. Many of his works are in international as well as German museums, such as the Neue Pinakothek in Munich. Eugene Dekkert died in 1956.

I adore this photograph, which was kindly shared by a reader of the blog. It features a smiling young girl, barefoot on the pier, enjoying a Largo summer in the late 1940s. Two very well-dressed ladies and a boy are sitting on the side of the pier. There are another eight or so people in the background - many of them ready for a dip in the sea. The tide is in and there is a rubber ring balancing on the wall. 

The Crusoe Hotel, which would probably have been full of visitors, has its upper windows open to let in the sea air. I would love to be able to step into this scene and explore the village at that time. If that were possible, then I'm sure I'd be just as happy as the girl in the picture!

The crowded beach scene above is Lundin Links at Massney Braes. Back in the very early 1900s the village was a fashionable "rival to the established and flourishing watering holes of Elie and St Andrews". According to the Dundee Courier (25 June 1903) "the attractions of the neighbourhood continue to draw large numbers each year so that a little town of seaside villas has sprung up on the magnificent feuing ground of Lundin". 

The attire worn by the beach-goers is similar to that worn in photos from a previous blog post at Seaview in Lower Largo - note the wide brimmed hats that children are wearing, the blouse and skirt combination favoured by the ladies and the popularity of smart hats and parasols. Although bigger and fancier hats would be worn in the evenings and for special occasions, the lady in the foreground with her back to the camera (see foot of post) is still wearing a pretty impressive piece of headgear for a day at the beach. 

There are a few beach huts in the dunes to the right of the image. While some folks might have stored their belongings in their own hut, many seem to be at the beach with minimal 'stuff' - no chairs, rugs or picnics. Most were probably staying a stone's throw away at one of the many boarding houses or hotels. There would also have been a good choice of tearooms and places to find refreshment within a few minutes walk. 

In the detailed image below, a row of little sand castles can be made out. There are a couple of people half buried in the sand towards the lower left hand corner. And a group of ladies are enjoying a chat in the centre foreground - I wonder what they were discussing!